Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-04
MONEY In PINE.
Some Northwestern Lumber Kings
sold Psp Sawyer" for Example,
and Mr.. Lamb OF Clinton.
Then Thers lie Aiger OF Iichigan and Many
oihers-HOw They Started in
Life.


northwest writer in the New York Tri.
bune says: "Among those who hsvs
made money out of the pine forests Of
Michigan IS Ex-Governor R. A. Alger, who
was in New York recently to attend the
funeral of the late General Judson KiIpat
rick, with whom he was associated in the
csvalry service during the war. General
Alger raised the first company OF cavalry
men in Michigan, and was one of the line
| officers in the regiment of which Phil
Sheridan was Colonel. General Sheridan
bounted Fitzpatrick and Alger among the
best OF his cavalry officers. When Gen
eral Aiger went to Detroit at the close of
the wer he was almost peDniless, but he
toon up the practice of law, and soon
had fine business from the railroads and
other corporations. They gave him the
opportunity Of personal investment,
| which he used to such advantage
that at the present time he'is one of the
Wealthiest men in Mic1igsn His fer une
is estimated at $4,000, 900 or Sc, 900, 600
much OF which has been made in pine
| lands. He owns considerable int rest
in the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad,
and as it's president has one Of the fine al
private cars IN the country, with which
he travels at ease. Within the last two
years he has mSde two trips to the Pa-
citic, one trip to Mexico and one trip to
Canada.
Another of the lumber kings of the
northwest is Philetus Sawyer of Wiscou-
sin, who, for his generous and home!v
character, is familiarity known at the Ms
tional capital as "Old Pap SAWYER" and
"UncIe Phil" not in derisfon or ridicule
but with much the same feeling OF endesr.
ment with which the soldier bows a Inc
Army OF the Cumberland spoke Of General
Thomas as "Oid Pap Thomas" Mr..
Sawyer began life as a wood-chopper
in Wisconsin in 1917, and by the iudici0us
investmr Mt OF his hard-earned savings in
cheap pine lands has accumulate a for
tune of.tbree or four millions, with which
he is extremely liberal. l. is related
that in 1884, after Carl Schurz had
made speecn at Milwaukee, the R9pub.
IiCan national committee became alarmed
st the situation in Wisconsin, and
sent representative there to talk
with the party leaders. Almost the first
person the committees agent met was |
Senator Sawyer, who was ct his home at |
Oshkosh. The Senator entertained his |
guests in generous manner at his hand
some house, and wss willing to
talk OF everything but politics |
Whenever the question WAS approached |
he quietly postponed it for another time.
At last the Senator's guest explained his
mission, and insisted upon receiving the
inf prmation he s1ught. The SENATOR'S
reply did not con ain the information, but
when it is reported to the national COM
mittee it was entirely satisfactory. Said
he: "You may g. back to New York and
tell the national committee hat the state
OF Wisconsin will never go Democratic as
long IS ? liletus Sawyer is United States
SeBstor."
Among the men who have made for
tunes out of the pine lands OF Wisconsin,
but who are not So widely known to the
general public, is the firm Of Lamb &
Sons at CLINTON, )ws, one of the mem
bers of which is L. Lamb. who has been
in Nsw York lately, and from
whose lips were gathered vsri-
GUS points about the lumber product.
The pine forests of Michigan are
being rapidly cut away, under tue great
demand for pine lumber in the east. Lit
tie OF the Michigan lumoer goes west.
Wisconsin logs are foated down to Gin
ton, Eau Claire, Dubuque, Davenport,
and other Iowa points, for manufacture
into boards 1--WE turned out this
year." said Mr.. Lamb, "71 000, 900 feet
OF lumber at our mills at Clinton
and 70 900 900 feet more from mills in
which we are interested, which are To-
ca ed immediately in the pine region of
Wisconsin. Another firm at Cliuton
turned out within /, 200. 600 feet as much
IS ourselves. The lumoer product at
E ~ Claire is even larg than at Clinton.
Mt foot Of this lumber came east; it is
rItirely consumed west of he Mississippi
A of thu lumber from Wisconsin is being
for western consumption"
"The fact is" said Mr. Lamb, in
further conversation "that the lumber
we make would not pass muster in the
EAST, where they require so inch board to
be an inch board. When our Kansas
City customers, for instance, order two
inch lumner we saw it one inch and
flush. II we should
saw it two inches we would get
orders to make 1t one and three +
quarters, so that they might get the dif-
ference IN freight. We cut twelve ode
nch boards ont Of twelve inches Cf log.
IN our saw mills we have adopted tAejf
circular saws IN place OF the old band
saws, by which we make saving of at
east one board n eight. The circular
Jaw cuts the smallest possib groove,f
md makes less saWGust than any other in
ise."